The four-day trip is expected to cost more than £6,000 in business class flights alone. Mr Mather’s 10,000 mile round trip will create almost four tons of greenhouse gas.

The Hoyrood government would not confirm if Mr Mather was staying at the £240-a-night Moon Palace Spa and Golf resort, which is hosting the conference.

Mr Mather has been sent on the four-day trip in place of Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, who has been forced to stay in Scotland to oversee the transport network.

Critics last night called the trip “hypocritical”.

Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser said: “There is a rich irony in ministers jetting off around the world and leaving a huge carbon footprint on the pretext of saving the planet.”

And Emma Boon, of the Taxpayers’ Alliance added: “It is ludicrous hypocrisy for the minister to spend time and taxpayers’ money flying out to Cancun to talk about climate change.”

Labour’s David Whitton pointed out that a meeting of Holyrood’s finance committee in Carnoustie, Angus, had to be cancelled due to the bad weather.

He said: “It is ironic that Jim Mather is able to get to Mexico but we can’t even get to Carnoustie.”

The conference is aimed at creating a global deal on cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The UK delegation alone will produce more carbon in one trip than an African village generates in a year.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Scotland has the most ambitious legislation for reducing carbon emissions in the world, so it is right that the Scottish Government attends the conference alongside UK Government ministers.”